Kukla's Korner Hockey

Don Meehan, who teams with Mark Guy in representing Doughty, said Tuesday he hadn’t spoken to the Kings about Doughty since June 23. Meehan said he assumed the Kings were focusing on their trade for Mike Richards and (ultimately futile) pursuit of free agent Brad Richards, but those deals are long done.

It’s believed the Kings are offering up to nine years at more than $6.5 million per year.

“I think he’d be happy to stay if we agree upon terms that are acceptable to him,” Meehan said. “And those are our instructions, to negotiate with L.A. on that basis to secure something that he’d be happy with.”

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi said the sides haven’t agreed on term or money. “They both kind of work hand in hand,” he said.

There’s no salary comparison for Doughty, who struggled at times last season but has franchise-player talent. Doughty and Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos, chosen second and first, respectively, in the 2008 entry draft, could create a new tier behind the league-high cap hits of Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin ($9.538 million) and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ($8.7 million each).